


Costume Jewelry and Promises

by State_of_Dreaming



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst with a happy ending?, But you won’t find it in this fic, Canon Compliant, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Other, POV Taako (The Adventure Zone), Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, Siblings, There’s a canon happy ending ofc, Twins, fluff with an angsty ending, more like, pffffft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:35:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27569158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/State_of_Dreaming/pseuds/State_of_Dreaming
Summary: The earring brought him a sense of comfort that nothing else could and it was obvious Lup noticed his sudden attachment to the gift. Sometimes Taako would catch her smiling at him out of the corner of his eye as he touched it when he was nervous or focused. Luckily for Taako’s pride, she never commented on it. But she knew.A bittersweet headcanon about Taako and Lup’s relationship that I decided to expand into a short story.
Relationships: Barry Bluejeans/Lup (implied), Lup & Taako (The Adventure Zone)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 28





	Costume Jewelry and Promises

It was no secret Taako loved jewelry. He'd pile on bracelets and rings and necklaces and earrings, stopping just before the absurd amount could be considered tacky. On a daily basis he'd switch up which earrings were where on his long ears and which bracelets adorned which wrist. Most of them were cheap, fake pieces made to look like they were worth a thousand dollars. Then again, when they were shown off with Taako’s confidence, no one could tell the difference.

Lup had a similar love for jewelry, though not to the same extent as her brother. Still, the twins’ costume jewelry collection was immense, practically never-ending. Years and years of being passed from family member to family member, years and years of living on the run with just one another, their collection of faux metals and jewels was a source of pride. It was something they could call their own.

Not that Taako was emotionally attached to any pieces. Sure, there were certain ones he’d try to hold on to, for style purposes, but safety and health came first. If they needed food or money, a quick spell and model walk could convince anyone the jewelry was real and worth anything the elf twins required. Even when they joined the IPRE and found a real place to call home, they continued to flaunt their collection and sell what they no longer had use for.

But it’s hard not to get emotionally attached to a farewell gift from the most important person in your life. The earring was a fake gold hoop with a single rhinestone ruby hanging from it, a gift from Lup when she was assigned her first solo mission with the Institute; something to “remember her by.” The twins had exchanged gifts before; this was nothing new. The difference was that Lup was gone on that trip for three weeks. They’d never been separate for more than 24 hours.

The earring was more cheap costume jewelry, a cheesy parting gift that Taako teased her for buying, but he put it on anyway and bid his sister farewell, watching the pod she climbed into until his elven eyes could no longer perceive it on the horizon. He’d plastered on a signature grin as Lup left, but when he was absolutely sure she couldn’t see him anymore, his smile fell and his shoulders slumped.

When Taako got home, he sat on Lup’s bed and cried, one hand wrapped tightly around the earring’s red stone. He'd never felt so strangely alone.

After that day, Taako never took it off. He soon connected the smooth feeling of plastic under his finger pads with the extraordinary excitement he tried not to show when Lup returned from her mission. That feeling that he was whole again.

The earring brought him a sense of comfort that nothing else could and it was obvious Lup noticed his sudden attachment to the gift. Sometimes Taako would catch her smiling at him out of the corner of his eye as he touched it when he was nervous or focused. Luckily for Taako’s pride, she never commented on it. But she knew.

Taako was anxious when the Starblaster took off. He’d never admit it to anyone who wasn’t Lup, not that he even needed to. Lup saw the usual signs. His sudden silence, his slightly chewed lip, the hold he maintained on the earring. As they lifted off the ground, Lup grabbed his hand with confidence and flashed him a bright grin. Taako looked at her with a secret gratefulness, her smile slowing his rapid heartbeat. Lup radiated a positive energy that warmed Taako’s insides. If she was nervous, he didn’t see it.

And then the Hunger came.

At the time, they had no name for the dark cloud that reached towards their planet and Taako didn’t need to read minds to know the rest of his team was struck with the same terror he felt grip his heart. As the utter darkness consumed the only home he’d known, Taako stared with wide eyes, paralyzed in place. Thank Istus, Davenport maintained enough composure to steer the ship clear of the black tendrils. Taako felt Lup’s hold on his hand tighten and he squeezed back. He didn’t even have the chance to look at her before the nauseating sensation of being ripped apart took over.

Taako was so sure he died during what they would later label as the first “reset.” There was no doubt in his mind that he’d opened his eyes and be in heaven. Or hell. Either option was fair game. The process didn’t even hurt, but it felt like every atom in his body was being torn apart and then pressed back together. He wasn’t sure if surviving that feeling was possible. It took all of Taako’s strength to focus on Lup’s hand and not throw up as the world came into focus around him.

He stumbled forward but Lup caught him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Barry had not been so lucky and was lying face-down against the deck.

_Barry._

Taako glanced around and there they were. All seven, all disoriented and scared, but alive. And together.

Sure that everyone around him was more or less okay, the next thing Taako checked was himself. He was exactly the same. Taako still didn’t quite believe it until he felt the earring still fastened tightly onto his ear. He didn’t let go of the stone, nor Lup until they reached the ground of whatever planet the Starblaster was hurtling towards.

As the crew continued their mission and became more familiar with this cyclical pattern they were a part of, Taako found himself gripping Lup’s gift more often. When he was bored he’d idly tap it; when he was angry he’d pull on it, not enough to rip his ear, but enough to feel it and keep himself busy; when he was laughing with the team he’d touch it, adding the pure happiness he felt when he was around his team, _his family,_ to the list of emotions he connected with the red plastic.

Every time Lup died before him during a cycle prior to her becoming a lich, he’d remember it was there, comforted by the fact that she'd be back soon, just like when she gave him the earring to begin with.

Taako knew it was ridiculous to fix so many feelings with the stupid earring, but he couldn’t help it. He’d already lost so much. At the end of the day, that earring meant Lup was with him and she was all he needed. As long as she was there, he’d be okay.

When Lup decided to become a lich, Taako knew he needed to do something.

Sure, he could give her a perfect day. But Lup was his sister, his twin, his partner in crime, his better half, his favorite person across all planets and planes. She deserved more than one measly good day. So Taako got to work.

The elf spent the day before Lup’s scheduled “perfect day” holed up in his room. No matter who came to the door, he refused to open it, even when that someone was Lup herself, begging him to come out and help her cook dinner.

Trying not to think about how the rest of the family was probably destroying his kitchen, Taako continued working. He didn’t even registered the disappearance of muffled conversation as everyone went to bed until Lup knocked on his door to say goodnight.

Taako stayed up late into the night perfecting his work. After hours upon hours of laborious crafting with his transmutation skills, he'd done it. An earring almost identical to his own sat in his hand, formed from a metal spring the Starblaster’s engine (hopefully) didn’t need and a simple stone he found the day before. This earring, however, was not made of the same cheap costume material his was. It was real gold decorated with a vibrant blue sapphire instead of a plastic ruby. He tucked it into his pocket that morning and it stayed there until he found himself on that hill with Lup and Barry, the runes necessary for the transformation spread out before them. There were tears in Lup's eyes when he gave it to her.

Taako would never say it out loud, but watching them turn terrified him. He felt a shiver down his spine despite the sudden heat permeating the air and he gripped the earring with white knuckles as he watched red lightning scorch the ground in a second of complete chaos.

And then things calm. Before him, Taako sees two liches. They’re phantasmal and resplendent and eerily quiet. Barry nods his way and Taako has to snicker at the formality of it all. Then Lup dabs and any remaining seriousness diffuses as they return to their bodies, Lup running to hug Taako and join in her brother’s laughter. He held her tighter than he had in a long time.

When Lup disappeared, Taako's hand rarely left its place on his ear, fingers constantly gripping the faux ruby. If it was a coping mechanism before, now it was a lifeline, the only rope keeping Taako sane. He convinced himself that holding it long enough and tight enough would somehow bring her back. She wasn’t gone, she couldn’t be. She was simply distracted, Taako told himself. She'd clearly lost track of time and forgotten her promise. Not the one on that stupid note Barry found marked with her signature red lipstick. Not one that she'd ever written on paper or said aloud.

The silent promise that came with the earring the moment she placed the box in Taako’s hand, the silent promise that as long as he had it, she wouldn’t be too far away. She would come back.

~~~

Taako couldn't explain why he slapped Sazed's hand away from the earring the first time he tried to touch the fiery stone. He couldn't even answer when his new partner asked why he kept it on all the time. Taako simply couldn’t remember a time without the gold hoop and removing it always felt wrong, somehow. Just like how it felt wrong to let Sazed get his greasy hands all over it.

Taako knew he fingered the stone when he was nervous or focused but couldn't remember why. He knew he gripped it whenever he retreated to his room after a show, fighting back tears, but couldn’t remember why he was shedding them in the first place. He couldn't remember why he felt like something was missing. Why he felt like something was supposed to come back soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes this entire hc came from me adding a red earring to a drawing of Taako I made and thinking “gift from Lup???”  
> If you enjoyed this short fic, please leave a comment!! I love hearing what y’all have to say :)  
> I am now a cosplayer!! You can find me on tiktok at @izzib4. Any support there would be greatly appreciated!!


End file.
